SHILLONG, SEPT 14: The Jaintia Hills Autonomous District Council (JHADC) is allegedly spending over Rs 27 lakh annually on salaries and allowances of contractual officials- who have retired from top posts in the council-thereby draining the council’s financial resources.
It is also alleged that these retired officials, who are continuing as contractual officials in the same posts and with the same facilities- are also enjoying their pension benefits from the district council.
As per the RTI filed by the Chdooh Ri Jaintia Wa Maya (CRJWM), the executive committee of the JHADC has appointed five retired officials to the posts of a Principal Secretary, Officer on Special Duty, Judge District Council Court, Planning Adviser and Account Officer.
“Offering hefty perks to these contractual officials, the JHADC had to spend over 27.5 lakh in a year, despite them enjoying their pension benefits as retired staffs. This is nothing but a wasteful expenditure,” CRJWM president WK Suchiang told reporters at a news conference on Monday
While the contractual principal secretary is drawing a monthly salary of Rs 50, 000, the district council is paying the officer on special duty at Rs 45, 000, Judge of District Council Court – Rs 40, 000, planning adviser – Rs 40, 000 and account officer – Rs 40, 000, he said adding “A total amount of Rs 2.15 lakh was spend per month for the salaries of these contractual employees.”
When JHADC CEM Thombor Shiwat was approached in July, Suchiang said, “He (CEM) had told us that contractual officials are being paid not less than Rs 10, 000, which is totally different from the RTI report. The CEM has lied and the reason for this is best known to him.”
He informed that during the meeting with them, the CEM had also claimed that five persons were working as contractual from the time he was elected as the head of the district council.
Interestingly, the district council had even passed a budget provision in 2015-2016 for extending allowances to the three contractual appointees for maintenance of the allotted vehicles to them.
“The district council has for one year considered an allowance of Rs 60, 000 to the principal secretary for maintenance of the vehicle allotted to him, while Rs 60, 000 for planning adviser and Rs 50, 000 for Judge of District Council Court,” Suchiang said.
In its reply, the JHADC has maintained that the executive committee is the authority empowered under Rule 12 (4) of the JHADC service rule to contract or hire the service of a qualified person and prescribed the term and condition of the contract appointment.
Contesting the decision of the district council, the CRJWM president said, “We opposed such practice by the present led EC in the JHADC as this tantamount to misusing and wasting public money.”
He also added, “We want to ask the district council that by engaging the retired persons, does it mean to say that the present officials are not capable or do not have the capacity to take up the responsibilities that was entrusted to these retired persons.”
“There are officials who are due for promotion to these posts, which were turned to contractual, yet the council failed to utilize their services,” Suchiang said adding “Instead it is giving equal treatment to a contractual and a permanent staff, which is not acceptable.”
Meanwhile, CRJWM served a 10-day deadline to the JHADC demanding for immediate cancellation of the contractual appointment to the five retired persons.
“We demand that these so called contractual officials be terminated immediately within 10 days,” Suchiang said as he informed that the organization would be forced to take other course of action, if the JHADC failed to pay heed to its demand.-By Our Reporter
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